1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector with a side retainer.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,653 discloses a connector with a housing that has a plurality of cavities for accommodating terminal fittings. A window hole is formed in one side surface of the housing, and a gate-shaped retainer is mountable in the window hole to lock the terminal fittings. The gate-shaped retainer crosses over the housing and has side pieces that add to the width of both the housing and the connector.
FIG. 13 shows a connector with a housing 1 that has a window hole 2 for receiving a gate-shaped retainer 3. The window hole 2 is open at three sides of the housing 2, namely, an inserting side of a retainer 3 and sides normal to the inserting side. The retainer 3 has side pieces that serve as the sidewalls of the housing 1. Thus, the connector is narrower. However, the absence of the sidewalls at the window hole 2 makes the housing 1 weaker, and the housing 1 may resiliently deform when a compressing force acts in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 13. This deformation can narrow the width of the window hole 2 when the retainer 3 is not mounted.
The retainer 3 is displaceable between a partial locking position and a full locking position reached by inserting the retainer deeper than the partial locking position. The terminal fittings can be inserted and withdrawn when the retainer 3 is at the partial locking position. However, the terminal fittings are locked when the retainer 3 is at the full locking position. The retainer 3 may be moved inadvertently from the partial locking position to the full locking position by a small force, such as an impact, when the terminal fittings are not inserted.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problems and an object thereof is to ensure a sufficient strength of a housing.